March 5, 2014

The Blind Pig

One of the latest restaurants to open is The Blind Pig inside Panorama Towers. You can spot the restaurant from the I-15 it is accessed on Dean Martin Drive ample parking is available out front. Inside, you're met with a deli to your right and lounge to the left. My brother and I came in to dine for lunch. You order at the counter, you're given a number and your food is brought to you over in the lounge. The Deli seemed promising, it reminded me of a petite version of those I love in San Diego and San Francisco. You feel like you're transported into a speakeasy when you step over to the lounge. There is a large bar, oversized booths and table seating.
The menu offers a variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizzas and entrees that include pasta, poultry or seafood. They also serve breakfast, though, I'm not sure when its available. My brother chose the Pastrami Rueben ($9.50) with coleslaw and I had the BP Porchetta sandwich with potato salad ($13.50). After a short wait, our lunch was served.
The Rueben was decent. The pastrami is sliced thin and possibly tossed on the griddle since there were crisp edges. The bread was dry, but the Russian dressing was quite good. Better than most Thousand Island dressings. The coleslaw went uneaten, it was too sweet for both of our tastes.
The Porchetta sandwich sounded great in theory, but the execution was poor. The greens were limp and slimey. The nuggets of pork belly and pork loin tumbled out from the bread with every bite. The pork loin was tender and had great flavor. I wish it were thinly sliced instead and piled high; it would make for a tasty sandwich. I enjoy pork belly when the fat is properly rendered. It was unfortunate that more than half of the nuggets were tough and filled with flubber. I found those pieces inedible. As a general rule, I do not like potato salad. Majority contain mayo and mustard; my least favorite condiments, this was no exception. I'd prefer alternate options to potato salad and cole slaw since both contain mayonnaise. My sandwich and iced tea was $18. I left hungry. Needless to say, I won't be rushing back to The Blind Pig, but I may return to try other menu items because the location makes it a very convenient lunch option.